Booking my first award flight .... encountered problems

[equus]

My question is this: why isn't the LON/MEL flight still showing as available when doing a LON/MEL award booking?

What you see is the perverse behavoiur of the online booking engine when you request a Business Award.

What it does is attempt to find a route between your origin and destination which has the requested cabin available.

What you want it to do, is to find you all sectors in the requested class. It will indeed do this if it is possible.

The problem is the behaviour when this is not possible (as far as the inventory it can see goes). It then tries to get a route which gives any sectors in the available class (not really what you want, but what it does). To do this, it will send you on indirect routes, adding sectors which do not actually make sense, other than to add a business sector.

So, in this case, I would be fairly sure that there are no long haul sectors for the whole route to LHR for business awards, but there are some for economy, and probably from both MEL and SYD. So what it does, is gives you a domestic sector in business, connects it to the international in economy, and presents it as an option. Select a MEL departure, and it will send to to SYD in business, then on in economy. Select a SYD departure, it will send you to MEL in business, on in economy. Both give a "business" sector, but neither is of any use to you - you would get the same effect departing directly from MEL or SYD on the economy long haul, and skip the domestic business sector.

Same applies in reverse (coming from LHR).

 

[JohnK]

If there is U class availability, then a JASA can be booked for exactly the same points as required for a Classic Award (it is just the cash contribution which may be a little high :shock. If you are way under the required points showing when you try, it is probably because there is no U class availablity, and thus no classic award either.

I think you would be hard pressed finding any U availability to/from LHR until November 2012.

Instead of getting business class throughout -- the sectors SIN/LON and LON/SIN were in economy -- the points required were 256,000 (which is the classic award business class).

I think you will find most availability has disappeared especially on the flights offered with a connection via SIN/BKK. You will get business class to SIN/BKK and then economy to LHR.

I just did a quick check and can see a classic award in business class on 1 Oct 2012 on QF9 all the way through to LHR. If you want it then snap it up now.

Can you explain your comment "wait and see if more seats are released closer to travel". What seats will be released? Do you mean classic award? But if I have booked an any seat award aren't I locked into that seat -- penalties apply if I change???

I mean classic award but only book the outbound MEL-LHR sector. Do not book the return sector but constantly look out for classic (or even Any Seat) awards released closer to date of travel. There will be no cancellation or change fees involved as you have not booked anything yet.

The risk with this option though is that there will be no further business class availability released and you will travel in preium economy or even economy. But that is the only option available now for the return anyway.

 

[JohnK]

Just so that it does not get lost in the previous post there is actually an Any Seat award available in business class on 1 Oct 2012 on QF9 all the way through to LHR.

Total cost is 128,000 QFF points and $476.89 so if you want it then snap it up now....

 

[Stargazer]

Just so that it does not get lost in the previous post there is actually an Any Seat award available in business class on 1 Oct 2012 on QF9 all the way through to LHR.

Total cost is 128,000 QFF points and $476.89 so if you want it then snap it up now....

Thank you for taking the time to search through flights for me. It really is appreciated. Just checked and that flight is still available. But I need to be back in Melbourne in late september due to other commitments. But you have pointed out that its still possible to get a classic award -- so will keep trying.

Its been pointed out to me that I should consider flying from melbourne to a point in Asia (take a few days there) and then fly onto London. Return the same. Flights might be easier to obtain. Certainly worth looking into.

The risk with this option though is that there will be no further business class availability released and you will travel in preium economy or even economy. But that is the only option available now for the return anyway.

In your previous post you noted to book the mel/lhr sector - not sure if you meant I should book a seat with cash mel/lhr (therefore economy) and then wait to see if seats are released for classic award (business class) at a later date for the return flight lhr/mel? Is that what you meant?

 

[scaredeycat]

Using points for classic awards seems very poor value to me. I would have thought a better approach would be to pay for a seat in Y or PE, then use your points to request an upgrade. I know it's supposed to be a lottery, but recent QF propaganda seems to suggest that the majority of upgrade requests are successful (I can't speak from experience, as all my requests have been purely domestic).

 

[JohnK]

In your previous post you noted to book the mel/lhr sector - not sure if you meant I should book a seat with cash mel/lhr (therefore economy) and then wait to see if seats are released for classic award (business class) at a later date for the return flight lhr/mel? Is that what you meant?

No. I meant book the outbound sector now and wait before booking the inbound sector.

Sure that is risky but you should be able to get some sort of feel if anything is going to become available early next year.

Worst case scenario is that you will have to travel in economy or premium economy as that is all that will be available.

Another option is to look at destinations other than LHR and then making your own way to LHR.

Either way you are wanting to travel during what appears to be a very busy period and limited availability. Perhaps postponing the trip or looking to travel in paid economy and save the points for a time with better availability....

 

[tuapekastar]

Thank you for taking the time to search through flights for me. It really is appreciated. Just checked and that flight is still available. But I need to be back in Melbourne in late september due to other commitments. But you have pointed out that its still possible to get a classic award -- so will keep trying.

Its been pointed out to me that I should consider flying from melbourne to a point in Asia (take a few days there) and then fly onto London. Return the same. Flights might be easier to obtain. Certainly worth looking into.



In your previous post you noted to book the mel/lhr sector - not sure if you meant I should book a seat with cash mel/lhr (therefore economy) and then wait to see if seats are released for classic award (business class) at a later date for the return flight lhr/mel? Is that what you meant?

I was at a friend's place a couple of weeks ago, trying to help him get MEL-DME//LED-LHR//CDG-MEL (2 tickets, in business, on a 280K points per ticket 'fare' - I don't know the name for it). Travel next June/July. Naturally we stood no hope. He then spent 2 and a half hours on the phone to QF trying to get it...missed by a bee's diaphragm. A JL flight 'on hold' timed out and it was no longer available. So he rang back the next day and after about an hour and a half, he got his tickets (including the JL flight that timed out the day before). But it's hardly a direct routing and involves 4 airlines.

The point of my post is that it is quite likely possible to get you there and back in business (but for 280K plus 'booking' fee, rather than 256K online), but would take time and patience, may not be very direct routing and would probably involve having QF do the searching/booking for you over the phone.

 

[Limewood]

Its about time Qantas fixed the web site to show all flights available, one should not have to phone up and lose points (or pay a fee) for flights that are mostly then found buy the Q operator, and also stop this very annoying book J then find the international leg is in Y, then to get to the destination in some instances have to fly via another OZ city, its simply ridiculous. Maybe someone in authority should look into these practices.

 

[ozmille]

I know it is not the same but have you looked at flying to FRA and then either an award flight on BA or train? I have no problem finding classic or JASA's to FRA next year. With QF dropping the flights via BKK there is a lot less availability on the LHR route.


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[Stargazer]

I know it is not the same but have you looked at flying to FRA and then either an award flight on BA or train? I have no problem finding classic or JASA's to FRA next year. With QF dropping the flights via BKK there is a lot less availability on the LHR route.


Sent from my iPad using Aust Freq Fly app

Thanks for the suggestion. Everyone has been really great on this thread pointing out how best to get to London. From a newbies point of view this has been quite an education.

 

[medhead]

I'm coming in late but FRA is one option. You did a search and found availability on QF5 to SIN, look at the whole distance. I'm a big one for using trains in Europe, long distance trains stop at FRA that will connect to the Eurostar in Brussels (I think).

The other option is to do a multi city booking to look for a Oneworld award. This involves using 3 different Oneworld airlines including qantas. So you need to search for SYD-HKG-LHR-BKK-SYD and try to get CX and BA flights involved. JohnK has lots of experience using these awards, I'm just going from my memory of reading his posts.

Have you thought about buying a Y fare to Singapore then JASA from there to London return? with possibility you could upgrade the Y fare before departure from OZ.

There is J awards available to SIN, no reason to book Y.

 

[travelislife]

I was at a friend's place a couple of weeks ago, trying to help him get MEL-DME//LED-LHR//CDG-MEL (2 tickets, in business, on a 280K points per ticket 'fare' - I don't know the name for it). Travel next June/July. Naturally we stood no hope. He then spent 2 and a half hours on the phone to QF trying to get it...missed by a bee's diaphragm. A JL flight 'on hold' timed out and it was no longer available. So he rang back the next day and after about an hour and a half, he got his tickets (including the JL flight that timed out the day before). But it's hardly a direct routing and involves 4 airlines.

The point of my post is that it is quite likely possible to get you there and back in business (but for 280K plus 'booking' fee, rather than 256K online), but would take time and patience, may not be very direct routing and would probably involve having QF do the searching/booking for you over the phone.

I think you will find this is a oneworld award, not a classic award, hence the difference in points costs up to 280k instead of the 256. This is definitely another option for the OP to investigate in using carriers other than Qantas (though I think 2 flights must be on Qantas metal, but could be wrong here).

 

[Stargazer]

I know it's a total ripoff, but you can call QFF and get them to book it over the phone. You might be able to get them to refund the booking fee (points) by pointing out the glitch in the Qantas booking system.

I have just phoned QFF and explained the problems that I was having. They offered to waive the booking fee if booked direct.

When I explained that there were no seats available for a classic award booking on the dates I wanted the consultant mentioned that they had access to a wider range of flights and that if I booked it through QFF they might be able to assist. So things are looking up. Didn't make the booking on the spot so hope the information is correct.